May 19 -- We're remembering Larry Radu who would have turned 60 today. Taken too soon at 49.
Having stopped in the Marina Yacht Club, Marmaris for two days, we're heading back to an anchorage to enjoy being lazy.
Loggerhead Turtle visited our boat at anchor. See short video below.
We're about 3 NM from Iztuzu Beach, popularly known as "Turtle Beach," secured in a brand new marina. The only cost is power and a commitment to eat in their restaurant, otherwise, it's $105 Turkish lira per night. We ate in the restaurant last night which cost more than the mooring fee, but the food and view was well worth it. (That's about $65 Canadian.)
I've been excited to see the Loggerhead Marine Turtles for about nine years (since chartering in this area with Con in 2003). I'm thrilled that we're here just before breeding season (June to September) when we'd have been banned from viewing them. The turtles resemble amphibious landing crafts with each one weighing 140 kilos (300 pounds). The females are making their way from the West African Coast and will begin arriving in a few weeks (throughout June and July) almost always coming to shore at night, laying hundreds of leathery eggs resembling golf balls and cover them up in the sand. Lots of predictors arrive at night to eat them, like foxes finding the nests through scent. About six to eight weeks later, the turtles hatch and claw their way up the sand for air and make their fateful journey to the sea. Hundreds of them are eaten alive by ghost crabs that lay traps for them in the sand. Hawks and other birds feast too. It's a tough journey toward "life" and no wonder their endangered.
With a guide, we carried on through the swamp water to the Lycian and Roman ruins of Caunos. Many of the ruins were built in the 4th century BC. The Lycians honoured their dead by finding choice locations in the high rocks, and carving out pigeon holes to place them inside. For others, they carved intricate temple facades that remain today, however their tombs have long since been raided.
Below, a small portion of the ruins of Caunos, once a thriving Lycian port city in the 4th Century BC(now marsh land to the sea in the far distance).
Spring has sprung. The fields are a buss with every sized bee, wasp, butterfly, dragon fly, beetle, spiders... It's a beautiful sight. This delicate helicopter flew passed me grabbing my attention.
May 10 -- After two full days in Istanbul, Courtney and Hailey boarded their flight back to Canada. Con and Courtney spent an agonizing hour seeking financial compensation from Turkish Airlines for Courtney and Hailey's eight days without their luggage. Turkish Airlines has hired a very effective man whose job is to be as nasty and confusing as possible to turn people away. That doesn't work on Con, and moments before Courtney and Hailey's flight was to take off, the Turkish Airlines agent (otherwise known as "The Jerk") reluctantly signed the form and handed over $75 US compensation, less than half of what had to be purchased.
Our stay in Istanbul
Con booked us into a hotel in the heart of Istanbul's old city. The Blue Mosque, Haiga Sophia, Spice Bazaar and Grand Bazaar were all within a five minute walk.
Courtney, Hailey and Con in the centre.
Heading to the Haiga Sophia (AKA Sleeping Beauty's Castle)
On the steps of the Blue Mosque
One of many ice cream stops
May 7 -- On our last day aboard (before heading to Istanbul for a few days) we motored from the Fethiye Marina to swim in a beautiful bay for the day.
May 6 -- Dolphins visited us at the bow on our way into the marina this afternoon. They put on quite a performance, jumping high out of the water right in front of Hailey and Courtney.
Hailey and Con swam from Big Sky to the shore, about 150 metres. Courtney and I took the dinghy. It was Gypsy Day; the crowd was wild, so we left before it got too far out of hand.
Con and Hailey coming to shore after their long swim.
May 5 -- Water temperature has risen to 25.6 degrees! It's delicious and too inviting for Hailey who spends more time in the water than out. We dropped anchor in a bay as smooth as glass, played all afternoon in the water, slept (like babies) and we were back in the sea before 10 a.m. the next morning. Late afternoon, we brought up the anchor and had a beautiful sail to Fethiye.
May 3 -- Our departure from the Kalkan harbour was dramatic, with Con and Courtney at the bow untangling our anchor chain from the large ship's chain as the captain had arrived after us laying his chain across ours and linking anchors. Hailey helped me at the helm. Once we were freed, the crowd cheered, "Well done captain," to Hailey.
We motored for nearly five hours to Olu Deniz, a beautiful tourquoise-coloured bay and took a line ashore. 
The moment we were secured, Hailey took her first dip in the Mediterranean--following Opa.
Even Courtney swam. The water temperature was 23 degrees. We picniced on the bow.
May 2 -- Yesterday, while hanging out in the pool, we received word that THE LUGGAGE ARRIVED!
Every elbow, knee and ankle had a skid mark, but rarely a tear is shed.
We woke this morning, secured everything away, and set sail for the first time--seven days after Courtney and Hailey's arrival. Our destination: Kalkan, just a few hours from Kas.
Hailey drove.
And navigated.
And fell asleep just moments before our arrival. It was the first nap of the trip, but that's not too unusual, since she was never a napper.
We secured Big Sky in a perfect spot, just before a big blow arrived, showing 50 knot winds on our meter. Stepping off to explore the town, we stopped to watch as three gullet boats (about three times the size of Big Sky) arrived, filling the harbour and then they squished in on both sides of us--sandwich style. Kalkan is a cute touristy town, with a billion restaurants. Hailey was given two bracelets, and at least a 100 kisses by the locals and made friends with Khan, a boy about five years old.
May 1 -- Three days ago, Courtney was laughing and swimming. A nasty turn of events began with a stiff back, turning into a massive debilitating migraine, accompanied by vomiting and two days of no food and sparse liquid. I checked on her every other hour, and Con and I kept Hailey entertained away from the boat. Con picked up expensive prescription migraine medicine (over $100 in Canada) from the pharmacist (no prescription needed in Turkey), forabout $15 CND. Courtney needed complete quiet, darkness and to lay still in her bed. Her temperature continued to climb when the pain caused tears, she agreed to have the doctor come to the boat. For Courtney, that's great pain, as her threshold is high. The doctor arrived within 10 minutes, assessed her condition, took blood, gave her powerful anti-nausea pills, instructed her to take the migraine pill Con picked up, and to eat soup and salt in her water. Within 30 minutes, she was able to rise from her bed. The doctor had called in the meantime giving her the results of the blood test--normal. Other tests ruled out parasites and meningitis. Her temperature returned to normal and her headache subsided.
We are STILL waiting for their luggage to arrive from Antalya, where we were assured it would be delivered Monday (yesterday). We're skeptical about its arrival. 
Hailey has been wonderful and a complete joy to have aboard. She incredibly smart (all Grandma's say this) but it's true. We spelled out P-O-O-L and she said, "ya!" Not only that, she is sensitive and caring, and above all that, she's in love with life and all things in it. A wonderful story teller, she keeps us entertained all day.
April 28 -- Despite not having much to wear, Hailey and Courtney are having a blast and we're loving every minute. Courtney bought a really cute bathing suit... so, so did I. We call it our "crew" outfit.
Tomorrow makes DAY FIVE without their luggage, but a ray of sunshine arrived this morning when Turkish Airlines informed Courtney (when she called) that the bag is in Antalya. That's 220 kilometers from where we are, and we've been told "Tuesday," for delivery. 
Luckily the weather is outstanding with bright sunshine every day, temperatures in the upper 20s.
Grounded in the Kas Marina as we wait for the luggage, we've already started a pleasant routine: wake and dance to the Iman's song; walk to town for donairs, and a round of delicious Turkish ice-cream; play in the big park chasing kids and dogs; chats with ducks; and a swim in the sea or the beautiful marina pool.
Babies and young children are revered here. Hailey's already been given one free toy, two free ice cream cones, and we've had to turn down other free stuff.
"Ice Cream!" the young man called out to the crowds. Hailey called back from across the square in a big clear voice, "One minute," as she held up her index finger, "wait for Opa, he has money and we're buying ice cream!"
April 27 -- Con and I wrapped the boat in netting for the arrival of Courtney and Hailey, who arrived on the 24th April. What a thrill to see the two of them walking toward us! My heart skipped a few beats and hasn't slowed down since. Courtney packed all her can't-part-with stuff, and so far, on day three, there has been no sign of her luggage. Turkish Airlines is a nightmare to work with, as they keep sending her in circles.
Hailey in the hotel housecoat with her dolly, Chyler.
We bought a few pieces of summer clothes, shoes, bathing suits, and life jacket for Hailey. The four of us stayed in the pretty old section of Antalya, Turkey for three days so Courtney and Hailey could catch up on sleep and relax in the hot sunshine around the pool.
Con entertained us.
In Turkey, "kids" are about the most important and cherished being on earth. Everywhere we go, Hailey is adored. She calls out "Merhaba" to everyone (hello) and they can't resist her. "Can I have a kiss?" they ask. She passed one store and the proprietor gave her a maraca, another man took her other hand and we jumped her over all things in the square, including a sleeping dog. She laughed and laughed, and called out "Teshekkur," (thanks). Courtney is a good mom, and watches her closely, letting her experience everything. Hailey can't resist the kids everywhere and runs up to play with them, "Soccer, I play too."
It took nearly four hours to drive to the boat, and Courtney caught up on a bit of sleep and Hailey sang herself to sleep. Finally, the Kas Marina was in sight.
Boarding the boat was the thrill Hailey had been waiting for, for three days. She wants to drive the boat and was disappointed when she got behind the helm and the boat didn't move. "We need the key," she said.
April 20 -- Karen and Nadina left for Canada today, after nearly a week aboard. What great fun filling up with girl friends! During the high winds, Con remained with the boat at a safe pier in a marina in Ucagiz and the three of us hired a driver to give us a tour of the ancient ruins in Myra.
Myra, scholars believe was part of the Lycian alliance between the years 168 BC and 41 AD. The amphitheater below was destroyed in the year 141 and reconstructed in recent years. The area has been covered by shell-like silting. The Greeks tried to colonize the Lycians unsuccessfully. The Persians with their strong armies tried to overtake and enslave them. Instead, the men and women set their capital city on fire and went out to fight them to the last person--a suicide rather than surrender. This is known because of the ash that covers the destroyed city and the written accounts in Persian history records. Those surviving Lycians became part of the Persian nation and grew in economic prosperity. The Greeks and Roman's ruled them with heavy taxes, but they continued to survive, only falling into demise when two huge earthquakes took down their cities, some which can still be seen underwater. 
The most interesting person in Lycian history is St. Nicolas, the Bishop of the Lycians (later known as Santa Claus) in 323 AD.
We set sail when the winds calmed, heading for Kas. On the way, Con and I wanted to sneak into Greek waters to show Karen and Nadina the pretty town of Kastellorizon, and nearly got into a mess of trouble. The Greek port authorities gestured our flag and whistled for us to pull over. We rounded the harbour and bee-lined it out of the Greek waters, holding our breath until we were back in Turkish seas. You cannot cross countries like that! Once safely back in Asia, Karen had to test the waters.
April 18 -- Karen and Nadina arrived in Antalya to join us sailing along the ancient Lycian coast (south eastern coast of Turkey).
Our first day sailing took us from Finike to Simena, an ancient Lycian village, accessible only by sea. The site has the remains of a 4th century BC castle and the landscape is dotted with sarcophagi's (tombs).
The Lycian history goes back to the six thousand years.
The four of us climbed up the ancient steps to the top of the castle for this shot. The sarcophagi (tomb) is partially submerged in this photo on the right. We tied Big Sky to the small pier for the night--or so we thought...
While the weather was still delicious, Nadina, Karen and I got in the dinghy and paddled over to the sarcophagi and enjoyed the warm waters. 
At four in the morning, the wind picked up considerably and the light-weight pier we'd tied to for the night was looking like it would break away and blow us into the shallows beside the sarcophagi. The owners came out, calling to us in the pitch black, "Leave now!" Before we'd prepared the boat and strapped on our life jackets, they untied our lines and Con had to immediately back us out and into the reef-filled waters. I woke Karen and Nadina. Below, you can see the archipelago and reefs that make the area so beautiful and so dangerous to boaters. Blind, with just our iPad for navigation, Con and I maneuvered Big Sky off the pier, nearly taking the two owners with us, (they ducked under our bow anchors) and into reverse clearing the reef. I gathered up our life jackets, put on our navigation lights, Con remained steadfast at the helm, and Karen and Nadina sat alert at the pilot house table. I moved toward the bow to use my eyesight as look out, for any surprises not on our iPad maps or boats at anchor without lights. The wind howled. Thirty minutes later, Con had us in a safe bay just left of this picture. We dropped the anchor and slept soundly.
After breakfast, we took up the anchor and motored to the right of this photo, taking a secure spot on a stronger pier for 40 lire per night. Across the sea and to the left on this picture is the ancient sunken city, about five to six meters below the surface. Once the sea smoothes out, we'll motor over to see what we can see.